CSAC to Come Down Hard on Antonio Silva and Everyone He Knows
(The hell of it is, the fight was no good anyway.)
We knew that Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was making himself an enemy of the California State Athletic Commission by flouting their suspension and fighting in Japan anyway this past weekend, but we didn’t know that he might also have condemned the friends who aided and abetted him.
The CSAC is setting a February 10 hearing date to decide what to do about Silva, who claimed from the beginning that he was the victim of faulty steroid testing, but they’re also going after his cornermen and his manager, American Top Team’s Alex Davis, for negotiating the fight. Dave Meltzer says Davis has been fined $2,500 and suspended for the remainder of his license for setting up the bout, and the CSAC’s Bill Douglas is notifying all athletic commissions about Silva’s cornermen and the assistance they gave to this fugitive from steroid justice.
Sounds like Bill Douglas comes from the Keyser Soze school of management. He’s not just punishing Silva; he’s punishing his friends, his manager, his family, people who owe him money, people who owe his parents money… the point is, it’s needlessly harsh.
If a fighter gets suspended and decides to go out of the commission’s jurisdiction to fight, it’s expected that they’ll take action against him, maybe even keep him from fighting within their jurisdiction for a very long time. That’s fair. Silva knew that would happen when he went to Japan, but reasoned that fighting and making money over there was worth not fighting in the U.S.
But suspending his manager and cornermen is basically punishing them for their association with Silva. These are guys who have done nothing besides help a friend do something he had decided to do anyway. They weren’t under suspension. They didn’t test positive for steroids.
What’s more, all this stems from a contested positive test result in the jurisdiction of a commission with a poor track record for drug testing. Douglas actually suspended the testing altogether shortly after taking over for embattled former director Armando Garcia, and has only recently instituted new policies designed to maintain consistent results and handle appeals.
With all that still in the CSAC’s rearview mirror, you’d think they’d take a more lenient stance with regards to Silva’s manager and cornermen. Here’s hoping they appeal and give us all a chance to see how Douglas’ commission is different than Garcia’s. Hopefully the changes are more substantial than just a decrease in sexual harassment claims.
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Fuck these assholes. Says:
Fuck this political bullshit, we dont give a fuck. Let the fucker fight you cocksuking athletic commisions always have to fuck people over. This shit has happened way to often where fighters are wrongly accused. Its like they have to justify there worthless existence by fuckin over the occasional fighter.
EDDI Says:
Since when is it illegal to celebrate your birthday by injecting yourself with cake?
Joe Da Man Says:
Whatever the CSAC decides is too good for that horse fucker
Sodak Says:
fuck athletic commisions! why do they exist? Damn the man!
Ozone Says:
he's just trying to increase the size of his head to distract all the attention from his large feet
anthony cazares Says:
What about the judge attacking asshole thats going to fight Barnett?
Criminally Negligent Says:
Athletic commissions are all made up of friends of governors who have no knowledge about MMA which isn't a problem as long as they don't forget their place and try to do something drastic. Silva should be suspended but it's unlikely they have the power to go after the corner men. The commission would've had to have been granted that authority by the legislature [very doubtful] or have an administrative rule that allows them to do so. Such a rule would've had to go through the process of notice to the public and a hearing on it and no way that would have gone through uncontested. In other words, the corner men would likely win any appeal if the commission does try to pull this.
rh Says:
I had high hopes that the CSAC would stop sucking ass with the departure of village idiot Armando Garcia.
Sadly, I was incorrect.
rh
jdavis Says:
Going after cornermen is really silly but the way Silva and his camp publicly flaunted the fact that they were ignoring the commission's decision pretty much insured that they'd go after him full force.
Jefe Maro Says:
Unfortunately, I think you are going to influence too many of your readers incorrectly with this article.
Although I will not deny that the CSAC has done some rather questionable stuff in the past, I don't think they are in the wrong here. They are legally placed to oversee and enforce that the sport we love so much is legit. The Giant Silva is supposed to be a professional, including his cornermen. If he decides to undermine the rules that have been in place, and his fellow cornermen support him in his endeavors then I believe the CSAC has every right to punish them. Those people also have a responsibility to the sport. I know in boxing cornermen have been suspended and banned for improper conduct during fights, and I don't see this as being much different as it literally is spitting on an athletic commissions authority. The cornermen should have been smart and responsible enough to keep their fighter from making such a stupid decision.
I truly think the CSAC decision here helps protect the integrity of MMA, otherwise we'll end up seeing every fighter busted for illegal substances fly their way to Japan, and their cornermen giving a damn about it. I think this decision will help deter future stupid decisions made by the Giant Silva and his cornermen.
Poo Flinger Says:
This is stupid. Since when does the CSACs jurisdiction extend beyond California?
Anonymous Says:
Agreed 100 percent with Jefe. What's the point of even having commissions if a fighter is allowed to flout a steroid suspension? Do we want this to be a a legit sport or not?
TYLER Says:
Antonio "Junior" Silva is Cro-Magnon man!
ROID FAN Says:
fail a drug test, fuck it ... fight in japan, get PAID $$$ ... i'll still watch!!!!
Criminally Negligent Says:
I agree with Jefe about the role of the commission but the commission's discretion to grant or deny a license to a corner man is pretty clearly spelled out [for equal protection reasons] so that it cannot arbitrarily deny someone a liscense. Unless for some reason what the corner men did here violates one of those requirements they can't be punished.
mayhem420 Says:
What Bigfoot did others in other sports have done and I dont recall them ever being punished this much before. However it does only hold up MMA to the highest standard and can only help legitimize it to people who dont know all that much about it... Hello NY.
jdavis Says:
"This is stupid. Since when does the CSACs jurisdiction extend beyond California?"
State athletic commissions all support each other's decisions/suspensions, being suspended by one is the same as being suspended by all of them. CSAC is fully in their rights to ban a fighter flaunting their decisions from ever fighting in California again and all the other athletic commissions will go along with this. It isn't outside of their jurisdiction at all because they can't stop him from fighting outside of their jurisdiction but they can (and probably will) stop him from ever fighting inside it again.
Rick Says:
@jdavis
I think what he was getting at is that while it's understandable that the states would stick together, Silva didn't fight in another state; he fought in another country, who, by virtue of letting him fight there, obviously doesn't care what the CSAC has to say on the matter. While the states may ban together, who is the CSAC to regulate fights in japan? That's where they've over-extended themselves.
Anonymous Says:
no shit its like an eighteen year old getting drunk in mexico then coming back to the states and getting arrested for it. i doubt he even took steroids, he's always claimed innocence and had some excuses.
aaron Says:
"But suspending his manager and cornermen is basically punishing them for their association with Silva. These are guys who have done nothing besides help a friend do something he had decided to do anyway. They weren’t under suspension. They didn’t test positive for steroids. "
I helped my buddy murder his wife. Why should I be sent to jail? All I did was help a friend do something he decided to do anyway, never mind that it was against the law.
Your logic FAILS HARD. Good day sir.
TYLER Says:
LOL @ "aaron" his analogy "I helped my buddy murder his wife. Why should I be sent to jail". Yeah well that's a crime genius. Silva's manager and cornerman are being punished because they helped him in his fight in Japan which is perfectly legal. It's not like they are getting punished for Silva taking steroids. That's not what it's about. It's the fact they were with him and helped him in Japan. If you think that the CSAC is justified in doing this. Then I guess you wouldn't mind this country turning into a Police State. Which is not to far off.
aaron Says:
I swear to god, there's always SOME retard who has to point out a minor difference between an analogy and a situation it describes, missing the point of analogies completely.
Let me give you a helpful hint about analogies: They don't have to describe things that are exactly the same. They just have to show how things are SIMILAR.
Silva broke the rules.
Laws are rules.
The situations, while not identical, are SIMILAR.
Is that elucidating enough for you or do you require further assistance?
Now good luck on your GED, retard.
TYLER Says:
@ aaron They're not similar at all RETARD! You compared murder to a guy seeking a fight outside an athletic commissions jurisdiction. Also CSAC rules are not laws! They're a Government Agency not a court of law. Get your fucking facts straight if you plan on responding with more stupid shit. You got that Moron!
aaron Says:
I didn't say rules are laws, you useless sack of shit! I said laws are rules! Stop talking to me if you're not mentally capable of understanding me.
And yes, the situations are similar. But since you're too dumb to read -> comprehend -> reply obviously you're too dumb to understand a simple analogy as well.
I pity you, you poor stupid bastard.
UR GAY Says:
Don't you "dudes" think that then whole MMA thing is about repressed homosexuality? I mean, come on, you are taking out your fandom of muscular (yet terribly ugly) men as a feigned appreciation of the male form in a completely scripted environment where they rarely come to harm.
MMA fans are all really homosexuals at the end of the day. Maybe, one day (like me) you will realize it and enjoy what a man has to offer besides you staying up late to watch MMA on PPV while your girlfriend masturbates in bed thinking about a real man (NOT YOU).
TYLER Says:
@ aaron you are a lost cause get your fucking head out of the sand because the only person who understands your logic is you! At least Admit to yourself that your analogy of comparing accessory to Murder and Silva's choice to fight in Japan causing punishments to his associates was completely FUCKING STUPID! People like you are the reason why there are laws against murder.
aaron Says:
Good god you're dumb.
It didn't have to be murder. I could have chosen anything... It didn't even have to be a crime. it's not the important part of the argument. The tragic thing is you have such a pathetic understanding of how analogies and logic in general work that you'll NEVER understand that, now matter how many times it is explained to you.
You're so stupid it hurts me.
And what? People like me are the reason there are laws against murder? I'm pretty sure there are laws against murder because of people who DO NOT WANT TO BE MURDERED, which at least 99.9% of all people everywhere.
You couldn't look like a bigger jackass right now if you tried to.
TYLER Says:
@ aaron you couldn't be more of a block headed mother fucker if you wanted to. I said your the reason there are laws against murder because jackasses as fucking dumb as you make people want to kill someone. That's my point you dumb fuck. Not that there are laws against it because "People don't want to be murdered". No Shit people don't want to be murdered you fucking stupid bastard! One more time just to get back on topic the CSAC is way out of line in what they're trying to do to these people. If you can't see that then you're fucking blind!
aaron Says:
Hahaha, I knew what you meant. I was just fucking with you to make you mad because I hate you. Looks like I win again!
^_^
Of course it's still a dumb statement because if there weren't laws against muder people would still do it for for personal gain, not just out of anger. But I digress.
And no, the CSAC is not out of line in enforcing their punishment. Antonio is out of line for trying to duck his punishment. Anyone who can't see THAT is a fanboy idiot like my dear friend TYLER (WHO WRITES HIS NAME IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE HE'S EXXXTREEEEEEME) here.
dabix Says:
to URgay : No. Please do not take aaron and Tyler bitching posts for a proof that all fans are gay.
aaron Says:
Yeah, stupid faggots and their arguing. Faggots are always arguing. Heteros never argue.
PS You're an idiot too.
Anonymous Says:
Jefe Maro you are a fucking idiot. Guilt by association.
aaron Says:
Oh, by the way, I would like to point out that the only reason any of you are outraged by this story is because of your pathetic infantile hero worship. Anyone with maturity can tell the CSAC doing the right thing.
In closing, you all children.
Goodnight.
Acrocerid Says:
Damn, aaron and TYLER's little fight was more entertaining than Silva's bout by far.
PotatoHead Says:
I, too, believe in God... and fear Keyser Soze.
Thanks for the clip. That really got my juices flowing for the day!
Hacksaw Says:
Here's another analogy for you: coming down on Silva or his cornermen for fighting in Japan is like busting someone for smoking pot in Amsterdam.
MicahW Says:
CSAC just shows their irrelevancy yet again
bold Says:
the CSAC are stupid fuckers i mean they still have steve mazifuckup plus doesnt have anything to do with japan yea we get it hes not aloud to fight in north america but he should still beable to fight in japan
mississippi Says:
I agree with what happened. Im think people that take steroids are cheaters and probably only win fights because they use performance enhancing drugs. This is a real sport and steroid users should be exposed and punished. I think people supporting the steroid user in this situation should be punished too.
Jason Says:
It's kinda like when your stepdad grounds you and then the cocksucker calls your real dad to make sure it's enforced when you go to stay with him. We know it doesn't seem fair but if you're killing cats at 14 who knows what you'll be doing a few years down the road.
Anonymous Says:
He can still fight in Japan and they can still corner him in Japan as much as they want.
jdavis Says:
"While the states may ban together, who is the CSAC to regulate fights in japan? That's where they've over-extended themselves."
They didn't regulate a fight in Japan and they aren't stopping Silva from fighting any time he wants in Japan(or the rest of the world) they are just telling him he can't come back to the US. If they suspend guys and the guys just run off and fight anywhere else then the suspensions are utterly meaningless and completly worthless.
jdavis Says:
I see people comparing this to breaking the law and smoking pot in Amsterdam and silly crap like that and I think that people are missing the point that these people are licensed to do what they do and to get that license they had to agree to abide by athletic commission decisions. This isn't about breaking some law somewhere else it's about people doing something they agreed not to do when they got their fight license in California.
Jugger Says:
I think the CSAC should have jurisdiction over the State of California, as their name implies. Should Antonio want to fight in, say, Nevada, it would be up to the NSAC to choose whether or not to allow him to fight based on an outstanding suspension in another state. Most likely, since states tend to reciprocate, they would not allow him to fight even though he is technically out of California's jurisdiction.
Japan also would have the option of allowing or disallowing him to fight based on an outstanding suspension. Should Japan rule to allow him to fight, the CSAC shouldn't give a flying flip because he's out of the jurisdiction.
Now, if Antonio comes back to California after his suspension expires looking to fight, the CSAC could rightfully accuse him of violating his suspension and bar him from fighting in California... because, well, THAT IS THEIR JURISDICTION.
In other words, his suspension from California should be on his record, but what he does outside of California should be assessed by the commission of whatever state (or country) he is currently fighting in.
I wrote all that out for my personal fulfillment. I'm not offended that you didn't read it.
jdavis Says:
"Now, if Antonio comes back to California after his suspension expires looking to fight, the CSAC could rightfully accuse him of violating his suspension and bar him from fighting in California... because, well, THAT IS THEIR JURISDICTION."
Um that is what they are doing only they are letting him know that's their position to start with. They aren't saying he can't fight in Japan they are telling him to not bother trying to come back.
As far as other commissions (Japan doesn't have a commission that sanctions MMA)all the state athletic commissions go along with other state's decisions, NSAC won't ever approve him a fight until CSAC releases him from suspension. That's just how the system works.
You have described the situation as it actually is. Silva can fight any time he wants in Japan or anywhere else around the world but because he broke the suspension he isn't going to be able to come back to California(and by extension the rest of the US).
Poo Flinger Says:
Ok, I got it... if the CSAC suspends you, then no more fighting inside the US. But how stupid is it the Silva can get busted by the CSAC (which has been busted itself for corruption), and Chris Leben gets nothing for testing positive while fighting in England? And yes I know Leben was tested by the UFC, not the CSAC, but it is still stupid.
jdavis Says:
First when was CSAC busted for corruption? When did this happen? Armando Garcia left for unknown reasons and the new guy changed their testing proceedures to tighten things up but that doesn't mean there was any corruption or that there was even any actual bad test done.
Second Chris Leben was given a 9 month suspension for his failed drug test(which is the suspension length NSAC gives and they are the athletic commission in the UFC's home state). He didn't get away with anything at all he got caught and got suspended.